CROP Walkers in Oneida, Canastota will help feed hungry

NICK WILL

Published
12:00 am EDT, Monday, October 1, 2012

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Walkers make their way along Seneca Street in the city of Oneida as they take part in the last year's CROP Walk. less

Dispatch Staff Photo by JOHN HAEGER <a href="http://twitter.com/oneidaphoto">twitter.com/oneidaphoto</a>
Walkers make their way along Seneca Street in the city of Oneida as they take part ... more

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Dispatch Staff Photo by JOHN HAEGER <a href="http://twitter.com/oneidaphoto">twitter.com/oneidaphoto</a>
Walkers make their way along Seneca Street in the city of Oneida as they take part in the last year's CROP Walk. less

Dispatch Staff Photo by JOHN HAEGER <a href="http://twitter.com/oneidaphoto">twitter.com/oneidaphoto</a>
Walkers make their way along Seneca Street in the city of Oneida as they take part ... more

CROP Walkers in Oneida, Canastota will help feed hungry

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Central New York are preparing participate in the 36th annual CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) hunger walk on Sunday, Oct. 14 These communities are all organizing two days before the nationally recognized World Food Day.

Church World Service helps organize the events, held to fight hunger both locally and globally. Twenty-five percent of all funds raised by each walk go to benefit local causes. All other money raised is sent to bolster worldwide efforts to stifle hunger.

This year's walk in Canastota is being organized by Richard Rossi and The Canastota Kids Day Corp., a recent switch after the Canastota Area Churches have controlled the event for years. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m. at St. Agatha's Church, and the walk will begin at 2 p.m. Rossi is hoping to draw more people.

"This is the first year I've been organizing this event," Rossi said. Canastota Kids Day Corporation has been doing lunch-ins for the CROP walk sporadically since 2006. Last November Rossi pledged to help the CROP walk as much as possible, enough so that he was put in charge.

Rossi said he and a the churches paid for radio advertising at Mix 106 and no Kids Day funds were involved. Rossi said that he hopes to see 150 walkers this year and they hope to raise $5,000.

"This walk recognizes the distance that some people walk in third-world countries just for water," said Melissa King, one of the Oneida event's organizers. According to King the idea is to walk a mile, or in this case three miles, in the shoes of someone who lives an underprivileged life.

The local beneficiaries that will be given a portion of the 25 percent proceeds include nine different Oneida area food pantries, including St. Joseph's, St. Patrick's, and Holy Family in Vernon according to King.

"Last weekend, Church on the Rock served 36 families and Karing Kitchen served over 800 meals last week," King said. "There is a definite need here locally. Together we can make a difference."

Oneida: For more information on the Oneida Area CROP walk, contact Melissa King at 315-761-8135.

Canastota: For more information on the walk in Canastota, contact Richard Rossi at 315-264-9154.

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